Flipped
by MissLantern
Summary: The day Minato saw Kushina Uzumaki, he flipped. But a mistake he made turned her against him. When Kushina first met Minato she knew she had met her worst enemy. Will she be able to forgive him?
1. Chapter 1

This is the story of how Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze fell in love. It will be similar to one of my favorite books called Flipped in which the story will be written in a he said she said format. I've decided to change the world of Naruto slightly. Instead of the different shinobi nations, they are ninja from different countries such as Japan etc. The main characters will be from the U.S and are hired and trained by the government secretly. There's still the normal ranks and the Hokage, and they still use ninjutsu and all their other abilities. I just wanted them to be in a realistic world in the 21st century. Other than that everything is the same. And I don't plan on killing them at the end. I hope you enjoy the story and please review!

**Flipped**

**Chapter One: The Girl From Whirlpool**

The day Minato saw Kushina Uzumaki, he flipped. It was just an average day. He woke up that morning and did his usual routine before heading off to the academy. He made him and his dad breakfast and read the morning paper. Sometimes he felt like the parent in the household. His dad never left their small house unless he ran out of alcohol. He spent his days staring out the window, and drinking. His sensei said he stared like that because he missed his mother. She died when Minato was only three and he didn't remember that much about her.

All Minato knew was that she was a very talented ninja of the leaf like his father. She had long blonde hair, and was very beautiful. According to his father, Minato was the spitting image of her. Minato had her bright blonde s hair, and her blue eyes. The only genes he got from his father were his height and calm attitude. But because Minato looked so much like his mother, his presence often bothered Hiyo Namikaze. Minato often wondered about his mother's death but his father never answered him when he asked.

Other than asking for money for food or bills Minato never really talked to his dad. Minato payed the bills, grocery shopped, cleaned, and cooked for them both. Whenever Minato brought home his report card, which were all A's, his father never congratulated him or showed much interest at all. He didn't even know who his sensei was.

If it weren't for school and the academy, Minato would have gone nuts sitting around the house with his dad. Though he hated his house, it was strangely a safety net for him. Even though he had straight A's in school, and was the top student at the academy, Minato didn't have any friends. Minato wasn't picked on or anything, but he just didn't know how to approach the other kids. At recess, he would sit on the curb and watch as the other children played tag, or other games. What was the point in playing? It wasn't necessary to have friends, was it?

The only person Minato was able to connect with was Jiraiya Sensei. Minato met him when he was about seven years old, and wasn't even a graduate when his sensei took him under his wing. They did everything together. Jiraiya took him on mini trips, taught him jutsu that was far too advanced for someone his age, gave him books, tried to teach him to write and paint but that didn't go over to well. They ate together, read together, and unfortunately for Minato, spied on girls together. Jiraiya had it in his mind that his prized student was going to be a ladies man, whatever that meant. How was he going to talk to girls when he couldn't even talk to boys his own age?

Well thank god for summer. Minato was planning on spending most of his time between his sensei and the academy. Jiraiya told him that he should be able to graduate this year which was remarkable at his age. If what his sensei said was true, he would graduate from the academy in less than a month. Then again, Minato has always been a genius. He managed to skip grades fifth through eighth. He was planning on attending high school at the age of ten, but Jiraiya told him he would resume Minato's education to avoid being picked on by the much older kids. Which he was most definitely not going to argue about. But on this particular average day, Minato's life would change forever.

Today marked the first day of summer vacation. Minato left the house around six am, which didn't bother him; he has always been an early riser. His father was sleeping off his drinking binge on the sofa with the TV on.

Since he lived in a ninja oriented area, it didn't take Minato long to walk over to the ninja school. Like his parents before him, he grew up destined to be a ninja. At an early age, children are tested to see if they are capable of ninjutsu. If they are, they grow up in a secluded secret base type area where they are trained to be international superspies or weapons to ad our country in war. Sure The U.S isn't the only country doing this. That's why we are each given code names so we know what sides were on. The ninja in the north refer to themselves as leaf shinobi. Konoha is just one of the secret bases throughout the U.S and is located in Illinois.

Our location of operation is in Illinois. But because our base is so secluded, we've taken to calling it the village hidden in the leaves. Once ninja graduated they were permitted to leave and live outside of our little village, but they always came back for mission debriefing. The important thing is that our operations remain a complete secret to the rest of the world.

However, just because we have different code names and jutsu, doesn't mean we don't have allies outside of our country. In fact, once a year, we hold a tournament that is open to all of our allies to send their best genin so that they can be tested to become chunin.

But recently, talk of the chunin exams this year haven't been a positive one. Because of the war in Iraq, the leaf have been fighting with other ninja nations as well. In other words, we were approaching the third great ninja war unless the Hokage's could change things around. Making this a dangerous time for kids my age. Other hidden villages have been attacked and their ninja killed off to prevent attacks. This was a time of allies stabbing each other in the back before the other did them in. Minato's sensei often said that one day the ninja world would have a savior. Someone who could stop this madness, and bring peace back into the nations. Jiraiya told Minato that he was told by the wise toads, that he would be the mentor to the savior, or the one that would destroy us all. That was when Minato found out that Jiraiya believed that he was the child of prophesy. Now whenever he heard of a village massacre, he shouldered the guild himself. If he's the one that's supposed to put a stop to this then why couldn't he do anything about it?

One day Jiraiya found Minato sulking on the lone swing at the playground after dark. "What's eaten ya kid" he asked. "Another hidden village was attacked today. No one made it out alive" Said Minato.

"Ah I see. Yes, the Hokage told me it was the rain ninja that attacked them. It's a terrible tragedy, but it wasn't anything we could do" he said.

"I feel like I killed them sensei" Minato said, his voice cracking. Jiraiya gave Minato a concerned look.

"Now why would you feel that way kid" he asked putting an arm around the young boy. "You told me that I was destined to save people. But I'm not doing anything about it" he said angrily. Jiraiya sighed and ruffled the boy's spiky blonde hair.

"The only thing you need to worry about now is making some friends, and honing your skills. I don't expect a ten year old to save everybody" he said.

"Do you understand me kid?" he asked. Minato nodded. Talking to his sensei about what he was feeling made him feel better. He also noticed that Jiraiya was concerned that he didn't have any friends. He was going to try his hardest to make friends this summer.

His plan was to get his training done early in the morning and then focus on meeting people at the academy. At least he could relate to the kids there since they were all around his age.

So when Minato arrived at the academy to find all his class mates there this early, he was surprised.

All of his class mates were there, and they were all talking amongst themselves. Inoichi, a boy his age with long blonde hair ran up to where Minato was standing.

"Hey Minato, you wouldn't believe what's going on man" he said out of breath. Inoichi was the closest thing to a friend Minato had. Sometimes they trained together, but they never hung out outside of school. He could be annoying at times but he was always nice to everyone. He was also a talented ninjutsu user. He could read another's mind, and pull out information. He would become a great interrogation ninja some day.

"What's going on" asked Minato. "The hidden Whirlpool village was attacked last night. Almost all of the ninja there were killed by Iwa ninja. The rest of the survivors are being brought here to the leaf village. The Hokage himself is going to welcome here this morning" said Inoichi.

"How many survivors are there" Minato asked. "I don't know. But I've been hearing the number eight and ten so not many" said Inoichi.

"That's terrible" Minato said shaking his head. "You want to know what the real terrible thing is. Now we have to take in a bunch of stupid refuges with no ninja skills what so ever. Just because there village is in the U.S doesn't mean we have to take them in. I don't care if we are allies. Hell, they might even turn on us" Inoichi said angrily.

Minato couldn't believe what he was hearing. He thought Inoichi was one of the nicest people he's ever met. And now he was bashing on a bunch of poor people who went through hell.

And from what he was taught, the whirlpool ninja were a very prestigious ninja clan. They've been allies with the leaf for years, and the first Hokage even met his wife at that village. Minato was actually surprised that they were even over run by Iwa ninja.

"Come on, let's go wait by the others man. The Hokage's gonna be here soon" said Inoichi pulling Minato along.

Even though Minato was disgusted with Inoichi, it felt nice being invited to join him. And when he walked up to the rest of his class mates he was greeted and started chatting to the other kids.

Within the hour more and more people started to show up. Genin, chunin, Jonin, and even ANBU showed up.

Minato followed Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza through the crowd in order to get a better look.

Then the Hokage showed up in front of a speaker phone and addressed everyone. He wore usual attire of white robes, but didn't have his hat on that he was seen wearing at important events. Even though his body showed his age, he still looked strong and powerful. He was a terrific leader and Minato looked up to him a great deal. The great leader cleared his throat and began to speak.

"As I'm sure you are all aware, the whirlpool village was attacked last night by Iwa ninja at approximately eleven pm. I am sorry to have to bear this terrible news. Everyone here knows that we have a very close bond between our villages. So I have decreed that the survivors will be accepted into our community until they decide what they think is best for them. The young children will be enrolled into our academy, and the adults will be given jobs and a place to stay until they get on their feet. I expect everyone here to treat these people with respect, and help them to feel welcome. Thank you" he said before stepping down from the podium.

Everyone clapped and after the Hokage left, most of the spectators dispersed. Minato stayed because he wanted to get a look at the survivors.

He was sitting on the swings with Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza who were going on about our resources being diminished by a bunch of refuges. Minato stayed silent.

Chouza was eating barbeque chips that he mysteriously pulled out from a pouch. Like he needed more food. He was the same age as Minato but nearly twice his size. And that was saying something because Minato was tall for his age.

Shikaku's long brown hair was pulled up into a pony tail, and he was chewing on a tooth pick. He was the only one in the academy that rivaled Minato's knowledge of things. Although, he did beat Minato at checkers from time to time.

"Look man here they come" shouted Chouza. The main gate that only let in people with permission was now open and the refugees were now pouring into the village.

They were mostly woman and children and they looked like hell. There cloths were filthy, and some of them bloody. There was a noticeably young woman covered in mud and was obviously pregnant. There wasn't a single man in the group. Minato counted seven and pretty sure that was it for them when another walked through the gate.

A little girl who looked to be about Minato's age was walking behind everyone else. She was wearing black shorts and a long white shirt. Was she in her pj's? She was covered in mud from head to toe, and she was limping probably from her uncomfortable sandals. In her arms was a tiny puppy with all white fur. She had him laying on her shoulder like a woman held a baby. But it wasn't her clothes or the puppy that caught his attention. It was her long hair. Minato had never seen that color red before. It wasn't orange, or a light red that he was accustomed to. Her hair resembled the color of a dark rose, and it fell in long wavy lochs that reached the middle of her back.

"Man look at that sight Minato" Inoichi said. "I know" Minato said in bewilderment. He guessed the others were looking at the girl with the beautiful hair as well.

"What a freak man. She's worse than a ginger. Her hair is the color of blood. And look at her chubby face" the other laughed. Minato couldn't believe what he was hearing. Surely they couldn't be talking about the girl he was looking at. Could they?

"Hey Minato, if you go up to that girl and make her cry, you can have a sleep over with us guys" said Inoichi.

No way! He was not going to go up to that poor girl and make her cry! She's been through enough.

"I don't know I'll look like a total dick in front of everyone if I do that" he said. There, that was a valid excuse wasn't it?

"Fine I see where you're coming from. No one wants to go up to their grimy group alone. And risk getting the cold shoulder. So we'll go with you" he said. Minato's smile of accomplishment was gone. But then he thought of what Jiraiya sensei had said. He needed to make friends. So even though he was going to kick himself later, Minato followed the boys up to where the girl was.

She was sitting down on a bench petting the puppy while the Hokage was talking to the rest of the refuges.

"Hey there I was wondering if you could help me with something" asked Inoichi. The girl looked up at Inoichi, and then looked at me. She had these big beautiful blue grey eyes. Her skin was filthy, but from what Mianto could see, she didn't have a single mark or imperfection on her. She stood up from the bench and nestled the puppy into her hair. She was much shorter than Minato.

"Um sure, what can I do for you?" she asked. Minato almost choked when he heard her voice. It was silky smooth and feminine, but was barely detectable from her tone; which was pure sadness.

"You see. My friends here Chouza, Shikaku, and Minato; we've all made a really big salad for lunch today. And what we were all wondering is, if you could let us borrow some big fat tomatoes" Inoichi asked her. Kushina pinched her eye brows together in confusmeant and looked at the four of them like they were nuts.

"Excuse me, I don't have any tomatoes" she said. "Really, well I guess your face will do just fine" said Inoichi. Then out of nowhere Chouza threw a big pile of leaves down on the ground and Inoichi grabbed the girl by the hair and pile dived her into the leaf pile.

When she pulled her face out of the pile, her little nose was bleeding. Minato suddenly had a rage he'd never felt before. He wanted to grab Inoichi and shove his face into the pile of leaves. But instead he kept a cool expression and did nothing. The act of making friends was becoming more and more appalling.

The three boys laughed while Minato did nothing. Then Chouza elbowed him in the chest and motioned for him to say something.

The girl pushed herself up, and was clearly too weak to defend herself. So instead of laying hands on her, he figured he'd just call her a name. But what? He definitely couldn't say your hair looks like roses. So he thought of another name that suited her color.

"Your hair looks like blood, and it probably stinks like it too. You're a fat bloody tomato" Minato shouted at her. He felt sick to his stomach.

The three boys laughed and continued to rant that she was a fat bloody tomato. She stood up with tears in her eyes, and glared at Minato. Those once kind beautiful eyes now looked like daggers. And they were aimed directly at him. She let out a muffled sob and then took off away from the chanting boys.

"Great job man. From now on, she's the bloody tomato. Come on, let's go back to my place and play some video games" Inoichi said as the others followed him. Minato followed them and that's when he saw his sensei. He was leaning against a tree glaring at Minato.

Minato walked past him with his newly found friends and could feel the glare on his back. Minato had a feeling that when his sensei said to make some friends, he didn't mean in this fashion.

**Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be in Kushina's point of view. Please review when you're finished!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Flipped**

** Chapter 2: Home is Where Your Dog Lies**

Why are girls so bitchy? So what if Kushina preferred to play with the boys in her village. Mud fights sounded a whole lot more fun than playing dress up with dolls. Whenever she came in contact with one of the girls from school they always made fun of her cloths and the way she talked. Kushina couldn't help it if she had an attitude problem. In fact the only girl Kushina got along with was her mom. She was the only girl that didn't mind climbing trees, or practicing jutsu.

Her mom didn't mind that she preferred shorts instead of skirts. And there was no way in hell Kushina Uzumaki was ever going to wear a dress. Seriously, all the girls in the village wore flowery summer dresses with matching shoes. Just imagining them in her head going 'like oh my gosh, I got the most outrageous tan down by the beach. Like there was this boy, who was like so totally cute' barf. What the hell was wrong with these girls? As far as Kushina was concerned, the only good thing about boys was having them on your team for tackle football. And none of that flag football shit because she was a girl.

But that didn't mean all girls were bad, she had a couple of friends who had their heads on straight. But most of her friends were boys that went to the whirlpool academy. But screw the academy, Kushina passed with flying colors a week before summer break. She was an official genin and she would soon begin training with her dad. This summer she planned on playing down by the beach with her friends. That was the best quality of whirlpool. It never went below 70 degrees

Her dad was her best friend. He did everything with her. Unlike Kushina's mom who was the spitting image of Kushina with her dark red hair, and fair skin; her father had black short curly hair, and blue grey eyes.

He taught her how to ride a horse bare back, showed her how to make a sling shot, taught her survival skills when they camped, and taught her wind style jutsu. Her mother taught her fire style because she had both elemental styles.

While her dad taught her about the wilderness and jutsu, her mother taught her a skill most of the other ninja had abandoned almost a century ago. The art of archery. Kushina could work any bow she was given and she never missed her target. When she turned nine, her dad bought a handmade bow that folded in half and could fit in any utility belt. He held back off on the arrows though. He said when she was old enough to be able to distinguish right from wrong.

Even though her dad was a stern ninja, he was the most honorable. Before bedtime he would read to her from any book she chose. Her favorite thing about her dad was his voice. So instead of picking a short picture book, she always chose Harry Potter. Not because she liked the series, in fact she was sick of it. But because it was the longest book series she had, and it would allow her to hear her father's voice a little longer each night. So when he came into my room tonight, I was prepared to hand him the seventh Harry Potter book. Mom came in with him which she always did to kiss me goodnight.

Kushina decided to where my black exercise shorts and a long white t-shirt to bed. Mom came and sat on the edge of my bed and kissed me on my forehead. She swept my long hair behind my ears and smiled down at me.

"Are you going to make your father read Harry Potter again?" she laughed. "I sure am" she said leaning my head against her. Kushina could smell the sweet smell of her perfume. It was the best smell in the whole world.

"Now that you're going to be entering middle school. I got you a present" she said getting up off the bed. She came back with a large book in her hand. She handed me the book and from the corner of Kushina's eye she saw her dad role his eyes.

She turned the book over and her smile was immediately distinguished. The apple on the front cover made her want to keel over and die. Her mother had given her twilight.

"well, do you like it? All the girls your age are reading it, and I think you're old enough to read it" she said obviously excited about the gift. Kushina looked at her dad who was now trying to suppress a grin.

"Um, thanks mom. But I don't think dad wants to read this to me" she said. "Well of course not. This is meant for you to read on your own. And because this book talks about how boys and girls feel about each other, I also got you this diary" she said putting it on my nightstand. Whatever your feeling about what goes on in this book you can write it down in here, or you can ask me any questions you have. Also you can write about things other than the book. I gave a pleading look to my dad. He came up behind mom and pulled her up.

"Alright May, I think it's time to let me read to Kushina so she can get some sleep". She gave Kushina one final kiss goodnight and left the room.

"Sorry about that sport, your mom thinks you need to express your feelings now that you're getting older" he said looking at the cover of Twilight.

"But Twilight dad! I'm so sick of hearing all the girls talk about stupid Edward Cullen and how hot he is. What kind of guy sparkles? If I ever get married I want him to be like you" she said.

"Well love, someday there's going to come a time when a young man catches your eye" he said.

"I find that unlikely dad. All of the boys make fun of my hair. It's ugly" she said. her dad grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him.

"Do you know what caught my attention when I met your mother?" he asked. She shook her head.

"It was her beautiful hair. All the other men were afraid of her because of her reputation as a strong kunoichi. But when I summoned up the courage to approach her, she was the kindest woman I have ever met. Do you understand?" he asked her. She nodded but she didn't know what the hell he was saying. Sure Kushina's mom was beautiful but Kushina couldn't see it in herself when she looked in the mirror.

"Are you going to read dad" she asked getting impatient. He laughed his deep throaty laugh that she loved so much.

"Not tonight because I have a present for you. I haven't gotten you a graduation gift yet. But before I give you your present, I want you to tell me the meaning of a ninja" he asked her.

She was so excited about the present that she was thrown for a loop when her dad asked her that. Gifts from her dad were always meaningful, and when she received them on these rare occasions she was always overexcited.

"To do missions, and protect the village?" said Kushina. "Yes and no. Yes it is our duty to do the missions we are assigned and to protect our village. But the first thing a ninja thinks about is their family and loved ones. And never, never take another life unless the ones that are most important to you are in danger" he said. Kushina nodded and absorbed everything her father told her.

"Now can I have my present" Kushina pleaded. Her father smiled and stood up and left the room.

After five minutes went by, Kushina didn't know if her dad was coming back in. then he emerged with something tucked behind his back. There was a whimper from behind his back as her father stood in front of her. Then her dad pulled a tiny white puppy out from behind his back.

He placed the tiny ball of fluff in her lap. Kushina put her arms around the tiny body and couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.

"Dad I… you mean he's mine!" she choked out. "Yes and SHE is all yours. I found her out in the woods today when I was on a mission" he said.

"Is she a wolf? I didn't know wolves were this down south" asked Kushina. "Yes she is a wolf, but not a normal wolf. As you know, some ninja specialize in summoning animals that aid them in battle. This pup here is known as a spirit wolf. They roam free all around the country in small packs, and are close to extinction. Due to her size and color, it looks like the mother abandoned her. She's tiny for her age, and her white fur stands out too much to allow her to be camouflaged. Just like you" he said petting the wolf pup.

"Does she have special chakra like some people do" I asked him. "That's for you to find out love. I've never seen one of these wolves up close. She may be small now, but she's going to grow into a fully grown wolf. It's your job to raise and protect her" he told Kushina.

That's when her mother came in. she was close to tears when she saw how happy her daughter was.

"You like her baby" she asked Kushina. Kushina ran off the bed and hugged her mother around the waist.

"Thank you both for giving her to me" said hugging them both. Kushina's mom walked over to the puppy and gently rubbed her back.

"What a perfect little lady" her mother cooed. Kushina agreed and that's when the perfect name occurred to her.

"That's going to be her name. Lady" Kushina said. "That's a beautiful name" said her mom.

"Now I think it's time for both of you young ladies to go to sleep" her father said tucking his daughter into bed. Kushina did as she was told and laid down with Lady in her arms and closed her eyes.

Her parents turned the light out and closed the door behind them. Kushina couldn't get rid of the smile on her face as she heard Lady's heart beat against her body. She was no bigger than a rabbit, and her fur was smooth like silk. Finally her heart slowed to the relaxed beating of Lady's and drifted off to sleep.

O0O

When the sirens started going off, Kushina thought maybe it was another drill. But when her father barged into her room and picked her up and lady and started to run from the room, Kushina knew something bad was happening.

Her dad was dressed in Jonin uniform and her mother was dressed in her Jonin attire as well. Kushina's arms were wrapped around her father's neck and her mother had Lady in her arms. Kushina's dad put her down and grabbed her face with his big strong hands. They were standing in front of the house, and Kushina could hear bombs going off and screams that were too close for comfort.

"Kushina listen to me because this is important. Were being attacked by Iwa ninja, and I'm going to meet up with my team and try to drive them back when you guys escape. Stay close to your mother and run straight into the woods and don't look back" he said handing her a kunai knife, and her foldable bow and some arrows. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She began to cry, and she grabbed her father's Jonin vest with as much strength as possible.

"Daddy no, you have to come with us. I can't leave you. I love you daddy" She said holding him in a choke hold. That's when she noticed he was shaking. She let him go and looked into eyes similar to her own. He was crying.

"You are my whole life my daughter. I love you and your mother more than anything else in this world. I will protect you both if it is the last thing I do. Now take Lady and run. Go' he said shoving Kushina away. From the distance she saw people running, and some of them appeared to be lying in the dirt. Then one of their neighbors was shouting in their direction.

"Hiro, we need you up here. Were getting creamed" yelled Jeff. Her dad motioned he's coming and stood up. Kushina ran at him again and this time she refused to let go.

"No, you're coming with us dad, come on" she said urging him to come with her. she was so upset that her stomach was beginning to clench and she was close to panic.

"Kushina, you remember the talk we had about protecting the ones we love. This is my duty as someday it will be yours. Now go. Before they get here" he said.

"I'm scared" she said. He leaned down and handed her his headband. "As long as you wear this, you are a strong and brave warrior of the whirlpool village. Now go, and I love you" he said standing up.

He pulled his wife into an embrace and kissed her for what seemed like forever. They whispered to each other and then he looked at Kushina one last time, and then ran off towards the screams and explosions. She would never see him again.

O0O

Even though her mother was deeply upset, she took charge and took off into the woods with Kushina right behind her. Lady was whining from all the jostling but Kushina kept a tight hold on her.

She was beginning to feel safe when her mother stopped dead in her tracks. She pushed Kushina down hard into a bush and told her to stay still.

Her mother walked ahead with a knife in her hand. Kushina pulled out her bow and placed an arrow into ready position. Then out of nowhere two Iwa ninja jumped down from a tree and went for her mother.

Her mom managed to stab one of them in the neck and he dropped to forest floor holding his jugular vein. He bled out within seconds.

Kushina tried to take aim on the other Iwa ninja but he was too close to her mom. Then her mother pulled out her small katana and pierced him right through his abdomen. Her mom started to approach Kushina with her hand outstretched. She went to take her hand when all of a sudden; a long blade plunged through her mother's side. Her mom let out a painful cry and slumped to the ground. The ninja who attacked her stood over her and was about to make the final blow.

"Noooooooo" Kushina screamed. Without thinking, she took aim and shot her arrow right through the attacker's throat. The ninja fell to the ground choking and spitting up blood. Kushina ran out from the bush and over to her mom.

"Mom stay with me. I'm going to go get help" she cried, tears falling over her mother's face. Her mother's spit up blood and began gasping for air. She pulled her necklace over her long red hair and put it on Kushina.

"This belonged to your father's mom, your grandmother. She gave it to me as a wedding gift. Now it's yours" she said cupping her daughters tear streaked cheeks.

Kushina knew she was saying her goodbyes and laid her head on her mother's chest and cried. She wanted to say she loved her but she couldn't speak. She was shaking so badly she couldn't get the words to form. Kushina's mom whispered that she knows, and that Kushina needs to leave her now and keep running and don't look back.

But instead she laid her head on her mother's chest and listened to her heart beat until it came to a stop.

Kushina kissed her mother on the cheek and brushed her hair back with her shaking hand.

She stood up and put her bow on her back. She looked back at the Iwa ninja and walked over to the man she killed. She picked up a rock and hit him in the face with it. Then she couldn't quit. The tremors that went up and down her arm shook as she hit the ninja in the face again and again until he was unrecognizable.

When she finally dropped the rock she was shaking uncontrollably. She leaned over and vomited. After her clenching stomach subdued, she picked up Lady and started running through the trees once again.

She was covered in blood from both her mother and the Iwa ninja. As she ran through the woods, branches slashed at her face, and her cheeks began to burn. It was pitch black and she couldn't see where she was going. But she kept on running. Then she tripped over something and the next thing she knew she was falling.

She pulled lady close to her chest to protect her, and tried to reach out for something to stop them from rolling. Before Kushina could stop their decent, she collided head first into a tree and was knocked unconscious with Lady still clutched in her arms.

O0O

Kushina opened her eyes when to the soft sounds of whimpering and a warm little tongue licking her cheek. She weakly rolled her eyes trying to figure out where she was. She couldn't move and something was digging into her back. Was it her bow? Then she heard a twig snap. She turned her head and saw someone standing a few yards away from her.

Her vision was blurry but she could make out a tall man with long white hair wearing a green and red robe. Oh no. she was going to be killed by the Iwa ninja.

The man started to run in her direction and when he reached her he knelt down slowly and placed a hand on her forehead. She cringed away from him and he started to shush her quietly.

"It's alright child, I'm here to help you. My name is Jiraiya and I am a ninja from the village hidden in the leaves" he said looking her over. She wanted to say something to him but she was too weak.

"My puppy" was all she could get out. He petted Lady and assured her she was fine and he wouldn't forget her.

He pulled the bow off of Kushina gently but she still cringed in pain. He folded it up and placed it inside his robe. Then he carefully lifted her and Lady into his arms.

He started walking up the hill towards her village. She pulled on his hair and shook her head. He pushed her hair behind her ears like her father did and assured her the Iwa ninja were gone.

She leaned laid her numb head on his warm shoulder and closed her eyes. When she awoke three hours later, she was on a train heading to the hidden leaf. The government wanted to keep the attack a secret and the Hokage made the arrangements for the survivors to come to their village.

Kushina spent the whole train ride bunched up to Jiraiya. She slept most of the way, and Jiraiya covered her and Lady up with a blanket. He kept asking her if she was ok, and she just nodded. Words were not easily coming to her right now. Jiraiya gave her bow back, and sat beside her the whole train ride there. She heard rumor that there were only 8 survivors. 8. But there was a small chance that one of them was her father. When she requested to see the others and didn't see her father, she started screaming. Jiraiya carried her back to their cart and held her while she cried.

She fell asleep once again, and when they arrived at the train station, they had to walk the rest of the way. Jiraiya said he had to go ahead to announce we were arriving and that he would find me later.

So she trailed the rest of the survivors with lady in her arms. That's when she realized all the survivors were woman. She was the only child besides the pregnant woman that she didn't even know.

Walking through the woods to the leaf village was a new experience for Kushina. Salt wasn't in the air, and everything was much greener and instead of sand there was wet dirt. Her shoes were sinking in the stuff. This was her first time up north, and she already hated it.

When they approached a large gate, everyone had to be intercepted by ninja wearing blue pants with a green vest. When she told them her name they let her pass into the village.

Instead of looking around like the others were doing, she went to go sit on a nearby bench to rest her feet. Lady was snoozing in her arms and she started to stroke her soft fur.

When she looked up, four boys around her age were approaching her. One of them was very fat and had brown hair. The second boy was tall and skinny and had his black hair pulled up into a ponytail. The third boy had long blonde hair with a small pony tail in the back. He had a devilish smile on his face. She turned and looked at the fourth boy. Her heart did a little skip beat when she saw him which was weird. She was far too tired to get excited about anything.

His blonde hair was very spiky, and he had bangs on either side of his face. He had beautiful blue eyes that reminded her of the ocean. He was taller than the other three boys, and was just as skinny as them. He was wearing a white tracksuit with blue strips on his pant leg. His skin was perfectly tanned' he must be outside a lot like her. Only her pale skin never tans.

The other blonde boy approached her and said, "Hey there I was wondering if you could help us with something" he asked. She couldn't believe they wanted a favor. After what she's been through! But if she was going to get a head start here, she didn't want everyone to hate her. So she stood up and faced them.

"Um sure, what can I do for you?" Kushina said standing on one foot because her other foot was blistered and sore.

"You see. My friends here Chouza, Shikaku, and Minato; we've all made a really big salad for lunch today. And what we were all wondering is, if you could let us borrow some big fat tomatoes" he asked in a serious face. Kushina just stared at him. Was this boy nuts? Why the hell would she have tomatoes? She looked over at the boy named Minato, and decided it was a nice name. It was a ninja name, like hers.

"Excuse me, I don't have any tomatoes" Kushina said rolling her eyes. She was starting to lose her temper with these stupid boys.

"Really, well I guess your face will do just fine" he said grinning at me. Kushina didn't understand. Were they making fun of her? Then the fat boy threw down a pile of leaves, and the boy named Inoichi grabbed her by her hair and face planted her hard into the leaves. Her already aching head was throbbing and she tasted blood in her mouth.

She weakly pushed herself up and stared up at Mianto. She could feel the blood running down her nose and she couldn't stop the tears that began to overflow. Normally she would have fought back but she was too sore, tired, and just… broken. She couldn't do anything but lay on the ground.

Then Minato pointed a finger down at her and said, "You hair looks like blood, and it probably stinks like it too. You're a fat bloody tomato" he yelled down at her. The other boys laughed at her and started chanting that she was a bloody tomato.

She stood up wiping the blood from her nose and grabbed Lady off the bench. She glared right at Mianto, and swore that she would never forget this. She hated this boy with the brilliant blue eyes. And she would never, ever, forget this. She ran from the scene crying with Lady in her arms. Kushina wanted her father with every bone in her body. She ran until she couldn't run anymore. She stopped in front of a large oak tree and slumped to the ground. She sat under that tree for a long time with Lady. She would never love another person again. Besides her wolf.

Her father always used to say, Home is where your dog lies. Kushina wanted to believe those words, but then again, lady wasn't a dog, but a wolf.

**Thank you for reading and please review when you're done! I'll post the third chapter as quick as I can!**


	3. Chapter 3

** Flipped**

** Chapter 3: Pink is Part of the Package**

Kushina couldn't cry. She thought that with everything that had happened in the last 24 hours she would be balling. But instead she felt nothing. She was still sitting still under the tree with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her arms and legs were full of goose bumps. Kushina wasn't used to this chilly air. The other refugees had followed a group of leaf ninja and were probably settling in for the night. Kushina wanted to get up and find someplace warm but she couldn't move.

Kushina knew her father was gone, but there was still a sliver of denial that her dad would come for her and take her home. Lady was whimpering and licking her hand. Kushina tucked the little wolf pup in her shirt to keep her warm.

She closed her eyes, and tried to stop the shivering. She was beyond exhausted and her body was started to ach from the previous night. All she could think about was the blonde boy with eyes that reminded her of the ocean back home. Why did he say the things that he did? Sure he didn't push her down like the other boy, but his words kept echoing in the back of her head. The boy named Inoichi said his name was Minato.

"It's pretty chilly out here" said a scratchy deep voice. Kushina opened her eyes and peered up the Hokage of Konoha. He no longer had his white robe on, but now wore black dress pants and a dark red button down shirt. His brown hair was gelled and pushed up, and had hints of grey.

Kushina nodded, feeling embarrassed in her current state of dress. He was a major leader after all. The Hokage bent down and pet Lady behind the ears.

"How about you come with me and I'll get you cleaned up" he said still petting Lady. Kushina looked the man in the eyes and wondered why he was helping her. After all she was a refugee.

"Why do you want to help a refugee Lord Hokage" she asked him. He looked at her and something in his eyes told her he was a man who had seen and been through a lot.

"My dear, you are not a refugee. You are very important to us, and it is our job to look out for your well being. Now come with me" he said grabbing onto Kushina's hand and pulling her up.

"And my name is Hiruzen Sarutobi. What is your name little one" he asked leading her away from the tree.

"Kushina Uzumaki and this is Lady. She's a spirit wolf" said Kushina. "Well I personally have never seen a spirit wolf. I'm sure my wife will love to meet the both of you" he said.

Kushina held the Hokage's hand and let him drag her along. The sun was just starting to set when he stopped in front a very large house. It was the biggest house on the street. Hiruzen pulled her up the stairs when she stopped to stare at the house.

He opened the door and held it open for her. Kushina felt like she stepped into a fairy tale.

The entire living room was filled with the finest furniture, and everything was decorated. Her parents weren't poor or anything but she never saw anything like this before.

While Kushina stood in front of the door taking everything in, a woman stepped into the room. She had long beautiful mahogany hair with curls surrounding her face. She was Farley short, and when she looked at Kushina she smiled showing the beginning of small crows feet by her eyes. She looked very distinguished like Hiruzen.

"Who do we have here Saru" the woman asked. "She's a survivor from the whirlpool village" said the Hokage. The woman walked up to Kushina and knelt down in front of her.

"What is your name sweet heart" she asked. Her voice was very quit. Kushina could tell that this woman must have had behavioral training on how a woman was supposed to act. She reminded her of a woman from the 1940's not the 21st century.

"Kushina Uzumaki, and this is Lady my puppy" she said a little loud. She always talked too loud and fast when she was nervous.

"My name is Biwako Sarutobi, but everyone calls me Sara" she said. She reached forward and cupped Kushina's cheek.

"You have really pretty hair. I've never seen that color red before" she said. "It's not pretty, it's the color of blood" Kushina blurted out.

"Now why would you think that" she asked. "The boys from the village said it looked like blood and tomatoes" Kushina told her.

"Which boys" Sara asked her. Kushina didn't want to be known as the snitch from whirlpool. So she looked down at the floor and decided to keep it to herself.

"Well the boy who called you that probably just had a crush on you. Boy's aren't very good at expressing their feelings" Sara said. Kushina nodded even though she knew that was a load of bull crap. Minato didn't like her in the least bit.

"Well we can talk more tomorrow. First we need to clean you up and then off to bed" she said. Wait what did she say? Kushina was going to sleep here? She thought she was going to be brought to an orphanage or something. Now she was going to stay in the Hokage's house!

Lady Sara took Kushina's hand and led her up the stairs. She took Lady out of her arms and handed her to Hiruzen. She then ran at hot bath for Kushina and gave her some privacy as she took her dirty bloody clothes off. She climbed into the huge bathtub that seemed to swallow her and soaked in the hot water. Sara knocked on the door and came in with some shampoo and a wash cloth.

"Is it ok if I help you" she asked. Kushina nodded and just focused on the warm water. Her muscles started to relax and it felt great on her sore back.

Sara first brushed out Kushina's hair that was in knots, and then rinsed it out with cup. She then added shampoo and scrubbed her scalp gently. After she rinsed out the shampoo she put in the conditioner. But instead of rinsing it out right away she left it in and started wiping Kushina down with the soapy wash cloth.

"Why are you leaving the conditioner in" Kushina asked her. the scent of strawberry's was starting to become over whelming.

"So your hair will be silky smooth. And if you rub your hair between your hands like this" she said demonstrating, "You can prevent split ends" she said. Who cared if she had split ends? Kushina sure didn't.

When Sara started to rub her back with the cloth Kushina flinched. The look on Sara's face went from silently smiling to concern.

After Kushina was rinsed off, Sara held out a towel for her and she climbed out of the oversized tub slowly to avoid slipping.

Sara dried her off gently, as if she thought she would break her into a million pieces. Kushina was given a new tooth brush and brushed her teeth while Sara brushed out her long hair.

With the towel still on Sara led her down a hall and into a bedroom. The room was much larger than Kushina's room at home, and included two dressers, and a flat screen TV on the TV stand. All of the wood furniture was white including the queen bed frame. Kushina looked at the bed and noticed that a fresh pair of pajamas were lying on top of the very pink comforter.

"I'll pull back the sheets while you get changed" she said turning her back to give her some privacy. Kushina dropped the towel on the ground and pulled on the fresh pair of underwear, which was pink. Then the pink flowery nightgown which made Kushina role her eyes. She hated the color pink, but she was in no position to complain, so she hoped onto the bed and laid down.

Her sore tired head seemed to sink into the pillow, and her back didn't protest against the mattress. She mine as well have been laying on fluffy cloud. Sara came over and sat on the edge of her bed. She cupped her cheek once more and felt her forehead as if checking for a fever like her mother always did.

"Where's Lady" Kushina asked her. Sara nodded and left the room for a short while before returning with Lady.

"I had my son give her a bath of her own" she said tucking Lady in bed with Kushina. Kushina pulled Lady against her chest until she could feel her tiny heartbeat. She let out a loud sigh of relief and closed her eyes. The last thing she heard was, "Goodnight little dove" and she was welcomed darkness.

O0O

Sara had always wanted a daughter of her own. Sure her loving husband blessed her with two healthy sons, but she always felt something was missing. She tried to get pregnant again, but when she went into her gynecologist she was told the horrifying news that her uterus was showing signs of cancerous cells. So she had it removed. She was no longer at risk for cancer, but she would never again feel life growing inside of her.

But when she returned home from her husband's office and was told that a young girl would be staying with them, she was very excited. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki, and she was the daughter of Hiro Uzumaki and Maiya Carter. Saru explained to her that she was the granddaughter of Mito Uzumaki who was married to the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Hiro Senju fell in love with Maiya and when he found out she was pregnant, ran away with her and changed his last name that was originally his mother's name. He wanted to protect his child, fearing that because of his family's unique chakra, his child would have to endure becoming the next vessel for the nine tailed fox, Kurama.

So now their daughter was going to stay with them. This brought Sara immense joy, and before the girl even arrived she went out and bought all new cloths for her. It all seemed like a fairytale until she walked right through their front door.

She was covered in dirt from head to toe and her shirt was splattered with blood. Dry blood was crusted around her nose, and her eyes were a mixture of blue and grey. But that wasn't what made her stand out. She had the darkest red hair Sara had ever seen, and it made her beautiful eyes pop. In her arms was a tiny white puppy that was whimpering and licking her cheek.

For a girl who had just been through hell, she looked quit calm. After they got equated with each other, Sara washed her up and put her to bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She turned out the lights and cracked the door in case she needed something. She walked down stairs where she found her husband filling out paper work at his desk.

"Get her all settled in" he asked turning around in his chair. She nodded and looked at the ground.

"Now I thought you would have been more excited than you were earlier when you went out and got all new stuff for her" he said removing his reading glasses.

"She had bruises all over her body, and blood on her cloths. She didn't shed one tear or say a word except when she asked me why I wasn't washing out the conditioner" Sara said to her husband.

Before she could say anything else, Jiraiya walked into the room from the kitchen. He looked utterly sleep deprived and sat down on the sofa rubbing his eye brows with his fingers.

"That girl has been through a lot. She's going to need time, and I've also scheduled for her to see a therapist once a week. I've already gotten the paper work filled out, and we are now her legal guardians" Hiruzen said. Sara nodded and went to sit next to her husband's student.

"What happened over there" she asked Jiraiya. He looked at her and sighed. "Hell is what happened. Iwa ninja attacked whirlpool around 11 pm. We got word of the rumors two days before and I was sent along with a team of Jonin to protect them as a precaution. We were outnumbered from the beginning and within two hours everyone was slaughtered and the village was burned to the ground.

I fought alongside the girl's father until he was taken out. He was a very powerful ninja; after all he was the first's son. He asked me to go after his wife and daughter and I promised him I would protect them.

I found Maiya in a clearing in the forest. Three Iwa ninja lay dead and one of them had an arrow in his throat" he said. Hiruzen lifted a strange tool off the desk and flicked it. It doubled in size and was instantly turned into a cross bow.

"Are you trying to tell me Kushina was responsible? She's just a girl; she doesn't have the proper skills to work that. Her mother probably did it trying to protect her" said Sara.

"I found her in the woods with the bow strapped to her back. She must have tripped and fallen down the hill, that's why she has that big bruise on her back" Jiraiya explained.

"Your telling me that a little girl took aim with a bow and killed a trained Iwa ninja" she said half laughing. Jiraiya and Hiruzen both looked at each other and then at her.

"She is the granddaughter of the first Hokage. She may have other skills as well. I ordered the ANBU to check the academy there for files but everything was burned. So I've decided to enroll her at the academy here to assess her abilities" said her husband.

"You can't just put her in the academy without consulting her, what if she doesn't want to be a ninja" Sara said angrily.

"My love, she is the daughter of two very powerful ninja, and the granddaughter of the first Hokage and the first Jinchuuriki. Odds are she has already received training" he said picking up the bow.

"She may even surpass my student Minato Namikaze" Jiraiya said crossing his arms. Sara threw her hands up in the air and left the room. She made sure her two son's Jacen and Asuma were sleep and peeked into Kushina's room and heard soft quite snores. She went into her and her husband's room and collapsed on the bed. She laid on the bed and thought of the girl who now lay sleeping down the hall. She made a list in her head of things she was going to need to do.

Before Sara fell asleep, she added that she was going to need to buy dog food tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Flipped**

** Chapter 4: Back to Step One**

When Kushina woke up the next morning she forgot where she was. But when she looked down at the pink nightgown, it came to her. She was at the Hokage's house of all people. She pulled back the covers and stretched. She jumped out of bed and looked around the room. Good god who was there decorator. Pink curtains, pink fuzzy rug under the bed, pink bed sheets, and a pink chair. Kushina was borderline panic attack. She ripped off her night gown afraid that the color was going to be bleached into the pigment of her skin. I've died and gone to hell she thought.

She went over to the dresser and yanked it open. Her hopes were crushed to a million pieces. Dresses and skirts of all kinds were stuffed to the very top of the drawer. She closed it and opened another one. Pink tops and matching underwear. Oh my god. She had to get out of here if it was the last thing she did. She dug down until she found a black skirt and a dark red tank top. She pulled on some red sandals that she'd seen some of the leaf shinobi here wearing.

She creaked open her door and peered down the vast hallway. She went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and brush her long hair. She looked into the mirror and cringed when she saw her face. Her cheeks were still cut up pretty bad from running through the woods. She pulled up her shirt and peered at her back. A massive blue and purple bruise hovered over the middle of her spine. She poked it with a finger and winced. She checked the rest of her body for more injury's and didn't find any others. When she was satisfied, she pulled down her skirt as far as it would go, which wasn't far and went back to her room.

She went over and sat down next to Lady who was running around the bed trying to jump down. Kushina pulled her into her lap and ruffled her silky soft ears. Lady jumped onto Kushina and started to lick over her cuts on her cheeks. Her cheeks began to feel numb and itchy, and when she rubbed them, she didn't feel the coarse lines of her cuts.

Still holding Lady she jumped off the bed and ran back to the bathroom. Kushina couldn't believe her eyes. Her once cut up face was completely healed. There wasn't even a scar.

Kushina looked down at her and smiled. It was now clear that Spirit wolves are not like normal wolves. Kushina wondered what other abilities her new friend possessed.

She left the bathroom once again and made her way down stairs. She could hear three different voices, two of which she recognized as Sara and the Hokage. An amazing smell was wafting from the kitchen making her stomach growl. Kushina hadn't realized how hungry she was. When was the last time she ate?

She poked her head into the kitchen. Hiruzen was sitting at the table reading paper work, and Sarah was flipping pancakes over by the stove. A boy a few years older than Kushina was reading a book at the table trying to dodge the food being thrown at him. He had short brown hair and a stern expression on his face. He looked just like his dad. The other boy looked around two or three years old. His hair was black, and short, but unlike his stern brother, a giant smile was plastered on his face.

"Mommy, who's that strange girl" the little boy shouted. Hiruzen and Sara looked up. "Kushina good morning. Come sit sit, I'll get you some pancakes" she said ushering for her to sit down. Kushina put Lady on the ground and took a seat across from Hiruzen, and folded her hands between her knees; a nervous habit she's always had.

The older boy was staring at Kushina, and when her hazy blue eyes met his brown ones, he immediately looked down with red cheeks.

"Kushina this is my son Jacen, he's 13 and just graduated from the academy here. And this trouble maker over here is Asuma, and he just turned two" Sara said over her shoulder. Kushina smiled at Jacen; he mumbled hi and then tried to focus on his book but every few minutes he snuck a peek at her. What a weirdo. Asuma then took aim and whipped a cheerio at Kushina. She picked it out of her hair and whipped it back at him. Asuma laughed which made Kushina smile. He was kind of cute… for a little brat.

The Hokage pushed his paper work aside and took his glasses off. He looked at her and smiled. He reminded her of a grandpa.

"How are you feeling today? It looks like the cuts on your face have healed over night" he said leaning in to take a closer look.

Kushina nodded and looked down at Lady. The moment their eyes locked the puppy turned her head as if in confusion.

"Lady healed me. She licked me and my cuts healed up" she told Hiruzen. He looked down at Lady and picked her up.

"Interesting. I've heard of spirit wolves possessing powers, but nothing like that. She's going to make an excellent partner out in the field" he said putting her back on the ground. Sara put a giant stack of pancakes with fruit and a glass of milk right in front of Kushina.

She wasted no time and started to dig in. She cleaned her entire plate and drank all of her milk. Her skirt was starting to feel tight.

"Wow you were hungry. Do you want some more" Sara asked. "No thanks, and thank you for breakfast. It was better than what that pervy guy gave me yesterday on the train" Kushina said. Hiruzen started to laugh which startled the two boys. Kushina guessed that Hiruzen didn't laugh much.

"I can't believe you just called Jiraiya a perv. That was just too much" he laughed. Kushina suddenly realized the error of her ways. She shouldn't have insulted another leaf ninja in front of the Hokage! Especially sense he was being so nice to her.

"I don't like that Kushina. Young Lady's shouldn't use language like that" Sara sternly told her. Who was she calling a young lady? Even so, this wasn't her house and she thought that she should follow their rules. For the time being anyway.

"I'm sorry lord Hokage" she said quietly. "Sorry for what. You called him out right away. If anyone knows about his scandalous behavior it would be me. I trained him after all" said Hiruzen.

Sara gave her husband a look for going against what she said and he went right back to looking at his paper work.

Kushina got up and offered to do the dishes, but Sara took her plate and washed it herself. Not knowing what to do next, she went and sat back down at the table.

"Kushina, pour this milk in this bowl here and feed your puppy. A friend of Saru's said she's too young for meat or dog kibble. He recommended this milk I got from the pet store this morning" Sara said. Kushina thanked her and poured the milk for Lady. When Lady started to drink it made Kushina's heart flutter. Lady was the last thing she would ever receive from her father and she would care for her and love her with everything she had.

Now that Lady was taken care of, what was going to happen to her? She had no money, no relatives, and she wasn't old enough to go out on her own. Would she become a ward of the state and have to live in foster homes?

"Lord Hokage, what's going to happen to me" she asked Hiruzen. Sara motioned for the two young boys to leave the room and her and Hiruzen patted a chair for her to sit in.

"My dear, my wife and I have decided to become your legal guardians until you come of age. If it is your wish to leave then, that's your purgative. We've already went out and gotten you clothes, and the room you slept in last night is all yours. Do you understand" he asked.

Kushina couldn't believe it. She was going to live with the Hokage! It certainly sounded better than a foster home, and this way she could stay with Lady. The only thing she detested was that all the clothes they had gotten her were too girly. But she wasn't spoiled, and nodded that she understood what he had said.

"I know that what you must be going through is very hard. When you are more comfortable with us, you can ask us any questions, or talk to us about anything. I will always be around for you, and so is Hiruzen" said Sara.

Kushina smiled at the kind woman, and was trying to stop the tears that were threatening to spill over. For the first time in two days, she didn't feel panicked or scared and she felt secure.

"But why do you want to take me in. I'm nothing special" Kushina asked. Sara and her husband looked at each other and they both knew that now was not the right time to bring up Kushina's family history.

"Sweetie, you are very important. No child should ever have to go through what you did. And as shinobi, it is our job to take in our fellow allies and help them when they need it. After you get used to living here, you will see that we all look out for each other in Konoha. In due time, you too will someday pass on the will of fire to future shinobi" Sara explained.

"But I'm not a leaf ninja. I come from Whirlpool. No one's going to accept me here" Kushina said.

"That's not true, you will fit in just fine here" Sara said. Kushina shook her head and said; "As soon as I stepped into the village a group of boys pushed me down and that brat Minato called me a bloody tomato" she told them.

"Minato Namikaze?" asked Hiruzen. "I don't know his last name, and I don't care. I'm never going to be friends with someone like that" she nearly shouted.

"Well that boy is destined for great things. He's been training under my student Jiraiya since he was six years old; a real prodigy. He's bound to pass the academy very soon" Hiruzen said proudly. Ha! Some prodigy. I already graduated.

"Which brings up the next discussion? I wasn't sure if you've had any education at the academy in Whirlpool. So I've taken the liberty in enrolling you in the academy here" he told her.

"But I already graduated from the academy in Whirlpool. My dad was planning on beginning my training this summer" She explained.

"I see. Well we do things a little differently here. Yes the parents pass on their techniques, but when a child graduates, they train under a Jonin in a three man squad" he told her.

"Why?" Kushina asked. Why would she need to be in a team? Whose stupid idea was that?

"Team work is vital for mission success. It also gives the new genin a chance to learn under a more experienced ninja who will in return keep them safe" he said. She guessed that made sense. Her father did go on missions with our neighbors once in a while.

"So do I have to start over?" Kushina asked. Hiruzen rubbed his chin thinking about what to do.

"Well you can attend the academy for a little while and let the teacher observe your skills and then we can go from there" he said.

Kushina wasn't too thrilled about going back but she'd do whatever she had to. it was up to her to become a strong kunoichi and rebuild her village.

"Ok, I can handle that. When can I start" she asked. Sara was about to protest about starting so soon when Hiruzen interrupted her.

"You can start this Monday. At least take the weekend off and get your bearing before you start" He said. She couldn't help but feel a little excited about going to the academy. She was going to get the best scores, and kick all of their asses. She was more experienced after all. She's been practicing jutsu and her archery skills since she was six years old. And she knew how to survive thanks to her many camping trips with her dad. She was going to blow them out of the water!

O0O

The weekend went surprisingly slow. Kushina spent the rest of that first day shopping with Sara. Kushina managed to pick out cloths that were more suited to her tastes. Sara couldn't believe Kushina was objecting to the color pink, and anything with bows or frilly dresses.

She also spent some time with Jacen and Asuma. Jacen was very quiet and seemed a little uncomfortable around her. She attempted to ask him to play outside but he was more interested in reading. Asuma on the other hand was more than eager to play. She did puzzles with him, read to him, played tag, and watched TV together. When she wasn't playing with him he was following her around. So by the time he went for his nap, she was totally exhausted.

Kushina had always wanted an older brother. Someone who would look out for her, and teach her things. But whenever she asked her parents, they couldn't stop laughing. What was so funny? It's not like they had to do anything. She thought about asking where baby's came from, but she never got the chance to ask her mother. Maybe she would bring up the topic one night at dinner. That would be a great way to break the ice around here.

One thing she could say about Sara, she was an amazing cook. Every time she made dinner that weekend, Kushina asked if she could help. She learned a lot by watching her own mom cook, and Sara was just as good. Kushina used to want to be a chef, and she took to reading cook books. But that was before her family was taken from her.

When she wasn't with Asuma or shopping with Sara; she spent her time outside. June in Florida was always amazingly hot. Kushina spent her time playing at the beach with friends and training with her parents. When she wasn't at the beach, she played in the hose attached to the house. If water wasn't involved, she wasn't happy. Too bad her chakra didn't react to water, it would have been perfect.

But she didn't live by the beach anymore. Konoha was located in Illinois, and the weather here was just barley 75 degrees.

When Hiruzen was busy at his desk, and Sara was occupied with something other than her, Kushina snuck out the back with lady and ran into the woods behind the house. She had never seen trees this big before! The entire village was protected and hidden deep within the woods. No normal citizen would be able to find it and if they did they wouldn't be able to get past the giant wall that enclosed the village.

Kushina immediately started running through the trees. Lady was inside of a pouch that was strapped to her back because she was too little to keep up with her. Kushina was always the fastest girl in school. She outran all of the girls, and the boys. She was also the best climber. She could climb any tree no matter the height. Her father taught her how to hide in trees if she was ever wanted to stay out of sight.

In the woods, she practiced tracking. She occasionally raised a broken branch or dirt to Lady so she could smell the different scents. When Kushina was far enough into the woods, that's when she took her bow out. With a flick of her wrist, the bow folded into place. Lady was snoozing on top of the nap sack next to her feet. She didn't have any arrows, so she picked up some stones off the ground.

She looked around for a suitable target, and saw a noticeably bright orange leaf towards the top of a tree. She balanced the stone between her fingers and the carbon fiber string and pulled back as far as she could. She rubbed her lips against the taught string, and as she breathed on it, she could feel the vibrations. She held her breath in order to feel the wind hit the string. It just barley vibrated, so if she aimed towards the right just slightly, she'd hit her mark. She took in a deep breath, and as she exhaled, she fired her shot. She watched as the single orange leaf gently fell to the ground. She never missed.

When she was done shooting rocks, she went into the next phase of her training. She put Lady back into her knap sack, and picked the tallest tree she could climb. The branches weren't close to each other, so jumping was mandatory.

When she reached the top branch, she walked out with perfect balance and sat at the very end. She was so high up, that she could see the village and the stone heads of the Hokage's. She recognized the old man, but the first two she didn't. She learned that their names were Hashirama, and Tobirama Senju. They were brothers, and trained the old man. The way he spoke of them; she could tell he had a lot of respect for them.

She pulled Lady out of her bag and put her in her lap. The breeze up here was perfect for what she intended to do. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the wind. She focused her chakra on all six of her senses. Within seconds she could hear, and feel what the wind was telling her.

All around her she felt the very small amounts of energy coming from the forest animals, and insects. She could feel the trees and plants exhaling oxygen as they photosynthesized. And when the wind changed direction, she felt the diverse energies coming off of the village itself. She could feel Lady in her lap. Her energy was easily distinguished from other living things. All the different types of energy was so over powering that she had to drop the connection or risk passing out and falling to her death.

She spent the last five years practicing this ability. The more she practiced, the more she could sense, and the longer she could hold it. Her father was the one who taught her how to do it, and it took her a long time to learn how to calm herself and focus. When she first started out, she had to meditate for hours before feeling the slightest energy signal.

When the sun started to set, she climbed back down and headed home. Home. She didn't even realize that she unconsciously thought of this place as home. Well it wasn't. Her home was with her parents, her friends, and at whirlpool. She was lucky to have people like the old man and Sara to care for her, but this village would never accept her for who she is. As she walked back, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about the boy with eyes as blue as the ocean. She didn't know if she was more excited about seeing him tomorrow and beating him in class, or if she was afraid of what he was going to say. Either way, Kushina Uzumaki wasn't going to show fear. Especially to that brat Minato Namikaze.

**The next chapter will be in Minato's POV. Please review when you're done reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

** Flipped**

** Chapter 5: Wind and Fire Don't Mix**

Minato didn't spend the entire night at Inoichi's. He stayed for a couple of hours and played video games with the other boy's. They thought it was hilarious that Minato could use advanced jutsu but he couldn't play call of duty. After games, they went up to his room where he pulled out a magazine from under a loose floor board. They all sat on the floor flipping through pages. Minato thought their eyes were going to pop out of their head. What were they looking at?

"Oh man look at the legs on her" Inoichi giggled. His cheeks were completely red, and Minato had to suppress a laugh at the girly way Inoichi was giggling.

"There's no way those are real" Shikaku said looking away disinterested. Chouza was munching on chips a mile a minute with his eyes glued to the page. Inoichi looked up at Minato who was leaning against the wall.

"Hey Minato, come take a look" he said offering the magazine up to him. Minato grabbed it and turned it around to see what the big deal was. In the middle of the page was a dark haired woman. But not just any woman, a fully naked woman who was sitting in a provocative position with her legs spread open. Minato dropped the magazine on the floor feeling very awkward and a little disgusted.

"I know right, she's so hot your fingers get burned by the page" laughed Inoichi who then snatched it back up.

Minato needed to find an excuse to get out of here. Minato raised his arm and said, "Oh look at the time, I need to start heading home now or I'll get grounded" he said to his pretend watch. As if he'd get grounded. He could stay out for an entire week and not have his father. The three boys were so occupied with the magazine that they didn't even notice Minato's sad display.

"Alright man, we'll hang tomorrow at school" Shikaku said to Minato. The other two just half waved him goodbye and continued flipping through the magazine. Minato hoped that was the last time he saw something like that.

The walk home was not a pleasant one. Instead of reveling about his achievement of making friends, he kept thinking about the red haired girl, and the way his sensei stared down at him. It was the first time he saw his sensei disappointed in him.

He came to a fork in the road and took a left instead of right, and headed for Jiraiya's place. He arrived at the apartment complex and knocked on the door. Two minutes later, his sensei opened the door. His normal joyful demeanor was replaced with the look of someone who was old and tired. Not that he was old; he was only in his early 20's.

"Minato, what are you doing here so late" he asked. Minato shrugged his shoulders not knowing what to say. He wanted to tell his sensei that he was sorry, and he wanted to ask him what he should do. But instead he just stood in the doorway. He wasn't very good at communicating with people.

"Did your dad do something" he asked kneeling down to his height. Minato shook his head. Jiraiya sighed and looked back into his place.

"Minato I'm kind of dealing with something right now. If it's important go ahead and spit it out" he said.

"Jiraiya" a voice called from behind him. Tsunade walked up behind him, and looked down at Minato. She was wearing black mesh and a white half shirt over it, and a red skirt. Her hair was pulled up into a high pony tail as usual. Her eyes were puffy and red, and swimming with moisture. Jiraiya turned to her and whispered in her ear. She nodded and went back into the apartment.

"I'm sorry kid, but I don't have time right now. Tsunade's little brother was killed today. She's really upset and she can't be left alone right now" he said ruffling his hair. Minato nodded and turned to leave.

He was going to have to handle the girl on his own. After all if he was going to become a great shinobi, he couldn't lean on his sensei's shoulders forever.

He walked into his house a little after 10:30 pm. His dad was sleeping on the couch, and didn't even notice that he came in this late. He walked past his mother's pictures and into his room.

His room was mostly bare except for a bed, a dresser, and a TV. Scrolls and numerous books were scattered on the floor. Minato wasn't the neatest person in the world. He took his clothes off and threw them on the floor. He grabbed a water bottle from his mini fridge and crawled into bed wearing his pajama pants. He stared at the ceiling, deciding that he wasn't in the mood for reading. He closed his eyes and saw the girl with the red hair. She had just lost her entire family and when they walked up pretending to need help; she chose to help them out. But instead they pushed her down, and he made her cry with his words. She was so much smaller than him. He was three heads taller than her, and instead of protecting her, he hurt her. He slammed his fist at the wall in anger. He rubbed his knuckles and turned over on his side.

Tomorrow he was going to apologize to her, and treat her with the kindness she deserved. He wished that he could ask his father for advice about it, but he was never sober enough to talk to him. Then again he wasn't Minato's real dad. His real father is a complete mystery, and no matter how many times he asked his dad, he never said a word. Wondering what his real father looked like, Minato was finally able to drift off into blissful sleep.

O0O

When his alarm went off at 6 am, Minato sighed and hit the off button. He wasn't in the mood for the academy today. The lessons were becoming increasingly dull, and Minato often found himself staring out the window. Also, he had to wait six full hours to seek out that girl and apologize. He hated waiting while his nerves were on fire. Maybe he could take a sick day and search for her instead. No, his sensei would kill him, and the other boy's said they wanted to hang with him today. Once again, the act of making friends was really bearing down on his shoulders.

He got up, not bothering to make his bed and took a quick shower. He searched the floor for a pair of clean clothes. He pulled on a white under shirt and his white sweat jacket with blue strips running down the sides. He wanted to wear his blue ninja pants but they were dirty so he settled for some jeans instead.

The kitchen was a mess as usual, and he had to clean some of the dishes so he could eat some cereal. After breakfast, he checked on his dad who was in his room and then set out for the day.

He always enjoyed the walk to the academy. It was still dark out but the sun was just barley rising over the horizon, and the birds would come out and start chirping. Not a soul was in sight, and he enjoyed the opportunity to have a moment to himself so he could collect his thoughts for the day.

But this morning was different. He couldn't focus on anything except the color red, and it made him extremely nervous. Minato had never had a real conversation with a girl before, and the picture from last night kept popping up in his head. How would she react if she knew he had seen something like that? Now that he thought about it, Jiraiya always read magazines with the same name on the cover from the one last night. Maybe it was normal for guys to look at that stuff. Minato didn't know, his dad never mentioned anything like that to him before.

When he was close to the academy, he started to see the other students from his class. The large circular building of the academy came into view. Minato let out a deep sigh and forced himself to enter the structure. Today was going to be a very long day.

O0O

Minato sat down in his usual aisle seat. He liked the end because he only had to have one neighbor. The seat next to him was always empty which was perfectly fine. All the other kids scrambled around trying to sit by the friend of their choosing. He pulled out a book and started reading before class started. A couple of girls were in the corner giggling. He looked up from his book and when he met their stare, their cheeks turned bright red.

Girls were so confusing. Whenever he one of his classmates a question, they seemed to be lost for words and they stuttered a lot. But when he went to sit down, they fought over the seat next to him. After about the tenth big fight, all of the girls agreed that no one would sit next to him. Which was fine by him.

He returned to his book when all of a sudden a hand slammed the book down on the desk. Minato looked up and saw Inoichi's mischievous smile.

"Hey man why are you sitting by yourself? Come sit up with the big dogs" he said motioning up to the back of the class. That was where the students sat if they wanted to get away with not paying attention. Minato always sat at the front so he could hear everything the sensei said. Plus the girls seemed to sit in the back row with the other boys.

"Ugh, no thanks I'm fine up here" he said pushing Inoichi's hand out of his book. Minato tried to focus on the words but he was also paying attention to the confused look on Inoichi's face.

"Why don't you wanna sit with us? Are you mad" he asked him. Minato slammed his book down on the desk and stood up. Even though they were the same age, Minato was still a head taller.

"If you really want to know, then yes, I am mad. You had Chouza push down that girl who just lost everything and you forced me to make her cry" he yelled at him. Everyone within ear shot turned to look at them in shock. Minato rarely said two words let alone lose his temper.

"It's not my fault the big guy does everything I say, and I didn't force you to do anything. You could have said no and walked away. You're responsible for your own actions Namikaze!" he yelled back at Minato.

"And why are you so concerned about that _refugee_! She's a waste of space and I hope she gets shipped off somewhere soon so we don't have to see her fat tomato face!" Inoichi screamed at the top of his lungs. Inoichi took a step in Minato's direction and tried to stare him down. Well he wasn't going to back down to someone like him. Minato pulled back his clenching fist and snapped it forward hitting Inoichi square in the nose. He fell back hard grasping his bleeding nose.

"If you ever say anything like that again, I'll give you something worse than a bleeding nose. Consider the debt repaid for making her nose bleed" Minato said looking down at the Yamanaka boy. That was the last time he would give into peer pressure. Minato took his seat once more and pretended like nothing happened. Soon after Inoichi stood up and looked at Minato.

"I'm sorry about yesterday. If you still want to hangout at recess come find us" he said whipping the blood from his nose. He walked back over and sat down in his seat ignoring the other students prodding questions.

Minato put his book down when their sensei came in. he took attendance, and stood in front of the room until the class settled down.

"Good morning boys and girls. Today we will be practicing the clone technique to get you ready for the exams in two weeks. But before we begin, I would like to present a new student to the class" he said. Minato looked up from the floor with interest. A new student was joining the class two weeks before the exams?

"Now I know what you're thinking, why would we admit a new student two weeks before the exams? Well she comes from the whirlpool village and has been in an academy before. The Hokage has given the orders that she can attend, so I want you all to be on your best behavior" he said sternly looking at each of them.

"You can come in now" he said in the direction of the open door. Minato followed his sensei's gaze, and when the girl with the beautiful red hair stepped into the room, Minato's heart stopped. He suddenly felt nauseas and shaken.

She was wearing a simple yellow dress that went just below her waist, with a v shaped chest. A large green ribbon was tied around her waist, and she wore a black short sleeved mesh shirt under the dress. She had black shorts under her dress and she was wearing the standard shinobi sandals, which hers were yellow.

Her hair was different from the last time Minato saw her. It was the same length, but now had layers that framed her face, and a black pin was pushing the left side of her bangs to the side. She was looking around the room and when her eyes met his, she looked away immediately.

"Go ahead and introduce yourself" sensei said placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the class and stepped forward. Was she nervous?

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki" she said very loudly. The sound of her voice made Minato shiver. She sounded stronger than the last time he encountered her. But how could she when she had just lost her entire home?

The other students began to talk amongst themselves. A couple of boys started pointing and laughing at her. They were making fun of her hair. Minato looked back and realized it wasn't Inoichi or the others from before who were making fun of her, but everyone else in the class. If he could hear them from the front of the class she probably could to. He looked back at her and her once calm face turned to anger.

"I'm the strongest kunoichi from the hidden Whirlpool village and I'm going to be the first female Hokage!" she yelled at everyone. The class shut up immediately. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared towards the back of the room. Her gaze then met Minato's once more, and he got the image of daggers again.

"Well Kushina, were glad to have you, now where should I seat you. Hmm, well there's only one seat available. Go sit next to Minato Namikaze please" he said pointing in his direction. Minato choked on his own spit. Did he hear the sensei correctly?

She started to walk towards him, and when she turned into his isle he scooted his chair in so she could squeeze by. She layed her back pack next to his and sat down in her chair. The sensei walked over to them and handed Kushina a packet of paper.

"I need you to fill this out so we can get a handle on your abilities" he said smiling. "Minato, can you help her if she needs it" he asked him. He smiled and nodded. The sensei went back towards the chalk board and started recapping the basic hand signs of jutsu.

Minato pretended to pay attention, but he kept side glancing at Kushina. Her hair was neatly brushed and shine under the lights in the room. He leaned in a little and swore he could smell strawberries.

She leaned down to get something from her back pack and their heads collided in the process. She swore under her breath and looked up at Mianto. They were so close to one another that he could see the different color contrasts in her eyes and the minty smell of toothpaste. He stood up as fast as he could, embarrassed by the breach of personal space.

"Minato is something wrong" sensei asked. Minato looked around and realized he was just randomly standing with a freaked out expression on his face.

Mianto shook his head and sat down slowly feeling his cheeks turning red. Kushina was still staring at him but turned around. She was staring at the packet and tapping her fingers on the desk. Why wasn't she filling it out? Then he figured it out. He grabbed the pencil on his desk and cleared his throat.

"You can use my pencil if you want" he said smiling and offering her the pencil. She let out an aggravated sigh and turned to face him in a fury.

"I would rather fill this out with my own blood then use anything of yours" she hissed under her breath. She turned to her right where a girl was sitting and asked for a pencil. She thanked her and turned to glare at him once more. She started to fill out the packet in silence .If there was ever a time to apologize, it was now.

"Look Kushina, I just want to say that I'm really sorry about the other day. I wasn't thinking, and I will never hurt you again" he told her with a shaky voice. She slammed her pencil down on the desk and hazy blue eyes met his.

"Listen and listen good blondie. I don't want to talk to you, see you, or sit next to you for that matter. So you can take your apology, and shove it up your ass!" she yelled. The sensei turned in our direction and frowned. Minato went back to taking notes and didn't say another word.

Kushina picked up the pencil in her left hand and continued to write. Wasn't she writing in her right hand before?

Minato shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He wanted to crawl under the desk and die. Why was her rejection of him affecting him this way? Maybe if he threw up they would send him home.

Kushina raised her hand and gave sensei her packet. She leered at Minato and stuck her tongue out at him. He gulped and sunk into his chair. The tension between them was becoming unbearable. This was the worst school day of his life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Flipped**

** Chapter 6: Rival's**

When Kushina woke up the morning of her first day at the academy; she had the sudden urge to cry. Back at Whirlpool, her dad would have come in to wake her up for their morning walk in the woods. They would follow tracks, practice jutsu, but Kushina's favorite was listening to her dad's stories. They were always about a powerful ninja who had the rare wood type chakra. He never said his name, but when he talked about him, her dad always had a sad look on his face.

She was running the stories over in her head when the bedroom door opened. Sara came over and sat on the bed. She reached under the covers and pulled out the book Twilight.

"I was wondering where this was" Sara said. Kushina turned and looked at the book in her hand. She hadn't read it, but instead slept with it like it was a teddy bear. She wished she had the book her mother gave to her.

"I didn't know you liked these kinds of books" Sara said flipping through the pages. She closed the book and handed it back to Kushina.

"Are you ready for your first day? You don't have to go if you don't want to sweetie" she said brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"No, I want to go" she lied. What she really wanted was to crawl under her bed and never come out again. But, what would her parents say if she did that? Kushina had to be strong and liver her life to the fullest. That's what her parents would have wanted.

"Well let's go ahead and pick out your outfit. I was thinking black leggings and a long pink top" Sara said jumping off the bed and going through the dresser. Kushina jumped out of bed and closed the drawer and stood in front of it like a guard.

"Um, how about I surprise you" she said smiling. She didn't want to say _hell no_ and her hurt her feelings.

"Ok, when you're finished, come down stairs" she said picking Lady up in her arms and whispering something about yummy meat before closing the door.

Kushina made her bed and went to go pick out her clothes. The only thing she deemed somewhat wearable was a long yellow shirt with a green ribbon tied around it and black shorts. She put on short sleeved under armor because the shirt was v necked and kind of revealing. Not that she had anything to show off. She opened up the closet and rolled her eyes at the numerous pairs of shoes. What she would give for her hunting boots. She settled for some standard shinobi sandals that were yellow.

After she brushed her hair and teeth, she made her way down stairs. A big pile of toast and scrambled eggs was waiting for her at the table. Asuma was in his high chair and Jacen was feeding Lady. Sara turned around and a giant smile spread across her face.

"You look so beautiful!" Sara said running over and kissing Kushina on the forehead. The act made her stop breathing; her mother used to do that every morning.

"But there's something missing" she said with a finger on her lips in deep thought. "Oh, I know just the thing" she said scrambling out of the kitchen. A few seconds later, she reappeared holding a small black hair clip and a comb. She brushed a small majority of her hair to the left side so that her bangs were falling over her face. She blew up so that she could see only to have it land back where it started. Sara then pushed the clip into her hair, and her bangs stayed out of her face.

"There, absolute perfection. This clip belonged to my mother, and her mother before her. I always wanted to pass it on to a daughter of my own, and now I can do just that" she said running her hands through Kushina's hair.

She didn't know what to say. She tried to say thank you, but all she could do was wrap her arms around the kind woman.

"Your welcome sweet heart. I hope one day you can think of me as your mom. I don't wish to take over for your real mom, but I will always be here for you when you need me" she said rubbing her back. For the second time this morning, Kushina had the urge to cry.

"Thank you, mom" Kushina said. The familiar words made her feel like she was talking to her true mom. And just because she couldn't hear them, it didn't mean that she couldn't say them anyway.

Sara pulled away and stared into grey blue eyes. Her eyes were swimming, and she wiped a tear away as she stood up.

"Now eat your breakfast and off to school" she ordered while sniffling. Kushina did as she was told and scarfed down her breakfast. After breakfast, Kushina washed the dishes and Jacen dried. She kept taking glances in his direction and when their eyes met he blushed. So much for a strong older brother to look up to. She could pumble this kid to the ground and he was three years older!

"So are you nervous" he suddenly asked. She handed him a plate and shook her head. "I'm gonna surpass them all!" she said clenching a fist. He stared at her fist and laughed.

"Good luck with that. The day you surpass Minato Namikaze I'll bow down and call you Hokage" he said splashing her with water.

"Ha! That idiot! You mean to tell me he's the best in the class! He looked so wimpy and girly. I can easily take him out" she said splashing him back. Before they knew it, water was all over the floor, and instead of cleaning the dishes, they were using the plates as shields.

"What on earth is going on in here!" yelled a raspy voice. They stopped dead in their tracks and turned to face an angry Hiruzen.

"Sorry father, I started it" Jacen said kneeling down and wiping up the water. "Well just leave it, I guess it's a good thing miss Uzumaki here got you to come out of your shell. I'll clean up, you two need to get going. I don't want to get a call later about Kushina being late on her first day" he said handing her a red back pack.

"Stocked with everything you need my dear" he said winking at her. Kushina thanked him and ran out of the room. Before she could make it out the door, Sara gave her a house key, and a sack lunch that she put into her bag. Jacen pushed her out of the way with a cookie in his mouth and bolted out the door.

"Hey you jerk!" she screamed running after him. He had a pretty good start but she caught up to him in no time. She grabbed the back of his pack and dragged him to the ground.

"That's what you get" she said with her hands on her nonexistent hips. Jacen pulled himself up breathing heavily and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

"How did you catch up to me? I was way ahead of you!" he said through deep breaths. "Easy, I was always the best runner in whirlpool" she said proudly.

"Well just wait until you see Namikaze run!"

O0O

"Ok this is your classroom. Just wait here until your Sensei tells you to come in. I have to get to my class now. I'll walk you home later" he said waving goodbye.

Kushina's heart was hammering in her chest. If this was going to be easy, why was she so nervous? What if the other kids made fun of her like the other boys? Kushina never had a problem making friends back at whirlpool. In fact, she had more friends then she could count. The majority of them were boys, but then again, she never got on with girls to well. They were always to bland, and wimpy. She liked rough housing with the boys, and getting dirty. Not playing with dolls or makeup.

"You can come in now" she heard the Sensei say. She licked her hand and made sure her hair wasn't sticking out, and she flattened her clothes. She took a deep breath, and strode into the classroom.

The first thing she heard was a bunch of gasps as she walked in. she stood next to her sensei, and felt her cheeks go red. She looked around the room and noticed the three boys from earlier right away. Unlike the rest of the class they were quit, and the one named Inoichi had a Kleenex stuffed up his nose which appeared to be bleeding.

Then her eyes met the boy sitting in front of the class. Those familiar bright blue eyes stared deep into hers. Minato Namikaze was sitting at the very front of the class. He was wearing a white jacket with blue strips on the side that was unzipped with a white under shirt. She glared at the boy who had made her first day here a living hell. He immediately looked away and stared at the floor. The Sensei then told her to introduce herself.

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki!" she yelled loudly. She cupped her mouth with her hands. Great, she was already making a fool of herself. The rest of the classmates started to laugh, and she heard the unmistakable work _red_. They were already making fun of her hair. Rage was boiling up inside of her and she blew up at the class.

"I'm the strongest kunoichi from the hidden Whirlpool village and I'm going to be the first female Hokage!" she yelled looking at all the other students. There, that'll shut them up. She leered at Namikaze once more and then puffed up her chest. Take that Blondie she thought mentally smiling to herself.

"Well Kushina, were glad to have you, now where should I seat you. Hmm, well there's only one seat available. Go sit next to Minato Namikaze please" Sensei said. Her momentary ego boost was blown to bits. Cursing under her breath, she complied with Sensei's instructions.

She walked over to the first row with shaky legs and squeezed past Mianto. She dropped her back pack next to his and sat down in her seat. She sat on the edge as far away from him as possible, which was only a measly few inches.

"I need you to fill this out so we can get a handle on your abilities" Sensei said handing her a packet. She flipped open the first page and began reading through it. She opened up her back pack and noticed that gramps forgot pencils. He had kunai's, her bow and arrows, but no pencils. So much for a brilliant Hokage.

She sat back up only to bump heads with blondie. She looked up with a prepared remark only to be face to face with Minato. His oceanic blue eyes looked deep into hers, and she could smell shampoo coming off of his hair. Was that axe? He stood up in a hurry almost knocking his chair over.

"Minato, is something wrong?" Sensei asked. He shook his head and took his seat. What an _idiot _she thought

She looked to her right and was about to ask a girl for a pencil when she heard _him_ clear his throat.

"You can use my pencil if you want" he said with a shaky voice. She looked at him in disbelief and stared at the pencil in his hand. Using the scariest voice she could muster she responded.

"I would rather fill this out with my own blood then use anything of yours" she hissed. The look on his face was priceless. Scaring him seemed to be a success. She turned to the girl on her right and asked for a pencil. She gladly gave her one and Kushina Began to fill out the packet. The only ability she couldn't do was the clone jutsu. This particular jutsu was ignored in Whirlpool because it was close to useless. Shadow clones on the other hand were easy for her.

Her right hand became sore so she started to write with her left. Being able to use both hands was always useful.

She was just about done when he leaned in and starting speaking again. This time his voice was much firmer.

"Look Kushina, I just want to say that I'm really sorry about the other day. I wasn't thinking, and I will never hurt you again." Kushina slammed her pencil down hard and turned towards him once again.

"Listen and listen good blondie. I don't want to talk to you, see you, or sit next to you for that matter. So you can take your apology, and shove it up your ass!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Sensei turned around and glared at the two of us. Minato went back to taking notes, but when she turned to look he hadn't written anything but was pretending to write. What a nutcase she thought.

Kushina couldn't wait for recess and it's only been 10 minutes. This was going to be a _very _long day.

O0O

When recess did come, everyone ran out of the room except for her and blondie. He looked at her and stood up. He walked towards the door, paused and waited as if he was waiting for her to follow the others.

She rolled her eyes and got up. He held the door open for her as she left the classroom which confused her. Why was he being so nice all of a sudden? And just because she was a girl didn't mean he had to hold the door open.

The moment she took a step outside, three boys cornered her. She tried to push past them but they pushed her back.

"No tomatoes aloud" he said poofing out his cheeks. All three of them began to laugh at her, making her cheeks turn bright red.

"Oh man check it out. She's turning even redder. It's time to have a tomato harvest!" the boy laughed grabbing onto her cheek. Kushina looked past the boy's shoulders and saw Minato looking in her direction. This was all his fault! He was the one that started all of this. Well Kushina had enough. The last time they got away with it because she was exhausted and upset. But not today. Today she was going to show her true colors. She grabbed the boy by the scruff of his shirt and pulled him in close. He looked speechless.

"You think I like hair this red! But I don't have a choice and I'm still me even if I have to live the rest of my life as a freak. I don't need some scrawny brat telling me otherwise!" she said punching him hard in the face and throwing him to the ground.

One of the other boys came to his friend's defense and wrapped his arms around her and began to squeeze. She easily broke free and kneed him hard in the chest. He went down gasping for air.

The other boy stared at her in complete fear. She too grabbed him by the scruff of the shirt and kicked him in the shin hard. His legs buckled and he sank to the floor. She still had a hold on him and she grabbed the right side of his ear hard.

"Call me a tomato, one more time" she dared him. He let out a whimper, and a small tear escaped his watering eyes. He was completely at her mercy like this, and it felt good. She was tired of everyone in this damned village walking all over her.

"Run! It's the red hot Habenero!" the leader of the group yelled running away. Kushina dropped the third boy who also ran away in tears. Her other classmates were staring at her, but the moment she looked their way they continued to play and ignore her.

Kushina walked over to a tree with a swing and sat down far away from everyone else. The other kids were playing tag, and some of the girls were picking flowers in the field. What really caught her attention was the game of tackle football. She would give anything to join them. But the ones playing were Inoichi, Chouza, Shikaku, and Namikaze. Sure she could forgive the other three, but no way in hell was she going to forgive Namikaze! Kushina didn't know what it was about blondie that pissed her off so much. Was it the fact that everyone admired him even though he was a jerk, or that he had hurt her so badly that first day? Whatever the reason, she hated him. Kushina was contemplating climbing up the tree to practice her technique when a girl with wild long brown hair approached her.

She was shorter than Kushina, and covered in dirt as if she'd been rolling on the ground. She was wearing leggings and a long blue top. She had a red streak on each of her cheeks.

"I saw what you did to those boys! That was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" she said slapping Kushina on the shoulder.

"My name's Tsume Inuzuka" she said bowing like she was special. The name Inuzuka sounded familiar.

"Are you from the dog clan" Kushina asked intrigued. Tsume nodded and pointed to a small fang in her mouth. Kushina poked it with a finger and poked hers and noticed that Tsume's were longer.

"That's cool! Do you have a dog yet" she asked. "Yep, his name is Hachi. He's still a pup though and hasn't been trained yet" she explained.

"I have a spirit wolf named Lady" I said proudly. Her smile turned to shock, and she hit her on the shoulder once again.

"You're joking right? No one's ever even seen a spirit wolf around here. Where did you find her?" she asked astonished. Kushina explained how she came to have Lady and Tsume apologized about what happened to her family and her village.

"They say that people who raise spirit wolves have special abilities. Have you noticed anything yet" she asked giving Kushina a push on the swing.

"Yeah, I had a cut, and when she licked it, it healed up" she told her. Tsume continued to ask questions about Lady, her village, and her favorite questions were about Kushina living with the Hokage. Never once did she ask about her parents, like she knew it would only cause Kushina pain.

Kushina was swinging so high up in the air that she could see the boys playing football. She launched herself off the swing and landed delicately on her feet.

"I feel like playing football, do you want to come with" she asked Tsume. Tsume followed Kushina's gaze and looked unsure.

"Ok, sounds good to me" she said grabbing Kushina's hand and lading her towards the group of boys.

"Hey Inoichi, we want to play to" Tsume said announcing their presence. "No dogs or tomatoes aloud" he said high fiving Chouza. Shikaku rolled his eyes and said, "I don't want to play tackle football with girls. They could get hurt, and then I'll get grounded and miss the exams. Too risky" Shikaku said. Kushina had a feeling this guy was always this boring.

"What about you Minato, do you mind if we play" Tsume asked Minato. He looked at Kushina as if asking for permission and shrugged his shoulders. This guy seriously needed to get a backbone.

"As if you'd stand a chance against him Inuzuka!" Inoichi said poking her shoulder. Kushina stepped forward and pushed Inoichi back.

"Is that a challenge dork" she said in his face. Inoichi looked at Minato who was glaring at him.

"F-fine, but it's boys against girls" he said. Kushina was about to point out the fact that four against two wasn't fair when Shikaku announced he was sitting out.

"That's still two against three" Tsume pointed out. She started looking around and then called over to a fair skinned girl with long wavy black hair. She was wearing light pink shorts, and a yellow daffodil tank top. She ran over with a big smile on her face.

"Kushina, this is Mikoto Uchiha. She's the only one out of the lot who doesn't mind getting dirty. The other girls are lost causes" Tsume said. Kushina said hi to Mikoto who blushed with embarrassment.

"Are you sure she can do this" Kushina whispered into Tsume's ear. "Well, she's kinda lame, but really nice. She's somewhat tolerable Tsume snorted.

"Alright these are the rules, no jutsu, weapons, or fowls. Good old fashioned football. The first team to get two goals wins!" Tsume said. "Fine, but don't start crying when you get knocked down little girl" he said eyeing Kushina.

"Come on Minato, you'll be the quarter back" Inoichi ordered. Minato did as he was told and followed the two boys. Kushina pulled Tsume and Mikoto into a huddle.

"Ok here's the plan, Chouza is the one to worry about because he's the biggest. Tsume, I want you to cover him, trip him and he'll go down easily. Mikoto, can you handle Inoichi? He talks big, but I don't think he can back it up "Kushina asked.

"I'll try" she said nervously. "There is no try, there's do or don't" Kushina told her. She nodded, and took a deep breath.

"But that leaves Minato, there's no way we can catch him" Tsume said. "Leave Namikaze to me. He doesn't stand a chance against me" she reassured her.

"Kushina, I don't mean to put you down, but _no one_ can catch him. Plus even if you did catch up, how are you going to take him down when he's bigger than you and way more skilled" Tsume asked. Kushina sighed, and pulled them in closer.

"I was the fastest kid in my village, and I'm already a genin. The only reason I'm here is because gramps wants to get a handle on my abilities" she explained.

"Who's gramps" Mikoto asked. "You're not referring to the Hokage are you?" Mikoto yelled appalled.

"It's just a nick name, and he didn't reject to me calling his student a perv" Kushina laughed. Mikoto looked like she was going to blow when Tsume grabbed her around the neck.

"Sorry, she's an Uchiha, and they take honor a little too seriously" Tsume said rolling her eyes. "Alright girls, let's get it done" Kushina said and they all put their hands in and met the other boys out on the field.

O0O

Minato couldn't believe he was about to play tackle football against three girls, and one of them was Kushina. When they went into a huddle, Inoichi pointed and laughed.

"This is hilarious, look how serious they are. As if they're gonna win" he joked. Mianto didn't care about winning; he was concerned about Kushina getting hurt. What if Chouza tackled her? With his weight, he could easily break one of her bones. He was going to play, but also keep Kushina away from the other two. Knowing Inoichi, he was probably targeting her this very moment.

The six of them met in the field and Minato could feel Kushina's dagger eyes on him once again. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Why was she watching him so precisely?

Shikaku stood in the middle and was going to throw the ball up in the air on the count of three. "Remember, I'm not involved in this. One, two three" and then he threw the ball in the air. Minato jumped up and caught the ball first due to his height. He turned to look for Kushina and when he didn't see her he took off running. Chouza was lying flat on his back with Tsume pinning him done, and Inoichi was running on Minato's side wide open. That was until Mikoto side swiped him and he tumbled to the ground. Minato took off sprinting towards the goal post when all of a sudden a flicker of red caught his eye.

Kushina was running right beside him, and before he could swerve, she jumped and grabbed him around the waist. The impact knocked him to the ground, and he rolled with her still clutching him. When they finally stopped she was laying on top of him with the ball in her hands. She stood up quickly and took off running in the other direction. Minato was on his feet in no time and ran after her. He was sprinting as fast as he could but she had a good start on him. When he was close enough to grab her, he reached out and grabbed the green ribbon on her shirt. She turned around and swung her right fist at him. He dodged it and went for the ball when her knee came up and knocked his arm out of the way. He staggered and she took off once more. This time, he put everything into his run and he caught up to her easily. He snatched the ball out of her hand and ran all the way to the goal. He scored the first point of the game.

The rest of the game went by uneventful. Kushina didn't try to tackle him again, but instead took her anger out on Inoichi, who was sprouting multiple bruises at the end. The score ended up being a tie, they were about to go a third time when they were called back to class. Heading back, Minato noticed that Kushina was walking with Mikoto and Tsume. Unlike him, she could make friends easily without hurting others. Perhaps he could learn a thing or two from watching the unpredictable red head.


End file.
